Stop Cutting Hay with a Bush Hog or Flail Mower — A Drum Mower Wins Every Time

Here at Tractor Tools Direct we field quite a few phone calls, chats, and emails asking about different types of mowers and their uses, more specifically, asking which type can be used for hay production. This blog will discuss the differences between three types of mowers – drum mowers, which are a fantastic choice for cutting hay, and bush hogs and flail mowers, which are not. However, the latter two definitely have their own important roles on a small farm.

A Drum Mower is a Hay Mower.

A drum mower’s purpose is to cut the stem of a crop at its base leaving the cut plant as unscathed and complete as possible. This allows for easy pick up by a hay baler with little material loss. A drum mower’s cutting action is gentler than the other two types of mowers, preserving the nutrient dense leaves of forages, especially legumes.

The long, consistent windrows created by a drum mower are meant to be harvested, not left in the field to decompose. While these windrows are easily raked or baled, they may hinder or even prohibit future pasture growth if not collected. Furthermore, a drum mower is not recommended for tough jobs like mowing brush or severely overgrown woody areas, due to its smaller, free swinging blades.

A Bush Hog is a Brush Mower.

Also known as a rotary cutter, a bush hog is great for clearing saplings, tall weeds, and thick overgrowth. However, it is not designed to preserve the cut material as a hay mower would. A bush hog shreds and tears forage, as well as piling it in irregular clumps as it comes out the back of the machine. As a result, if used to cut hay, the hay will not dry evenly. Furthermore, a bush hog’s violent and uneven cutting action kicks up dirt, rocks, and debris contaminating windrows and leading to dusty hay that’s less palatable and potentially harmful to livestock. And lastly, because a bush hog chops up material into small pieces, a rake and baler will have trouble collecting it, leaving valuable forage behind. That’s lost tonnage—and lost income.

A Flail Mower is a Mulching Mower.

A flail mower is an ideal machine for maintaining field edges, trails, pastures, and clearing overgrown areas and brush. Through its design, cut material is held under the mower allowing it to be shredded – even more finely than by a bush hog – and then the clippings are distributed evenly across the full width of the mower. This ensures that clippings do not clump and pile, potentially killing regrowth and eventually leaving bare spots in the field. Because of this, a flail mower chops biomass too finely for pick up by a hay baler and thus cannot be used for hay production.

So if you are looking for a mower to produce hay, a drum mower is the perfect choice. If you are looking for a mower to handle tough property maintenance jobs, a flail mower or bush hog is the way to go. Simply put, these mowers are not interchangeable and definitely have unique strengths when it comes to small-farm tasks.

If you have further questions about any of these mowers or our hay equipment offerings, please visit our website or give us a call at 260-BALE-HAY today!

Jun 2nd 2025 Tractor Tools Direct Team